The most haunted pubs, bars and clubs in Scotland

If you’re looking for something seriously spooky to get up to this Halloween, we’ve got a few ideas. Combining alcohol and paranormal activity is the perfect recipe for the most haunted night of the year.

Scotland has a rich heritage of paranormal activity which stretches back to the days of faeries, kelpies and Grey men, and even in more modern times, Nessie, the Falkirk Triangle – most famously Bonnybridge – and ABC (Alien Big Cat) sightings continue to grab headlines and airtime in the nation’s media.

But it’s our love affair with ghosts, spectres and poltergeists which continue to capture our imaginations.

In fact, Scotland is said to be one of the most haunted countries in the world, with a report in 2013 stating that nearly 40 per cent of the population had claimed to have seen a ghost.

Famed for not only the spirits on their gantries, these are some the spookiest and most intriguing examples of Scotland’s haunted pubs and bars.

One of Glasgow’s oldest pubs, the Scotia Bar is situated on one of the city’s first ever streets. First opened in 1792, it’s no surprise there are many souls said to haunt The Scotia, including a manager who hanged himself in the cellar, a former prostitute, a landlady and an ex-bar maid in green, who has aptly been named the Green lady.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a classic haunting without the ghost of a young boy – said to be aged about nine or ten and although not actually aged to drink, the young spectre, said to be the son of a former owner apparently likes to spend his time at the bar.

In 2007, a ghost hunting group known as the “Spirit Finders” ran an investigation in the pub, with one member named only as Shania, a self proclaimed psychic, able to relate the story of the cellar hanging without any supposed prior knowledge of the bar’s history.

THE ARCHES, GLASGOW

(253 Argyle St, Glasgow G2 8DL, tel: 0141 565 1000)

Picture: John Devlin

Sadly gone but not forgotten.

Badly dressed individuals and a lot of bad dancing were not the only thing that would have haunted you had you spent a night in Glasgow’s Arches.

Buried below Glasgow Central Station, the dark corners of the former venue are supposedly home to the ghost of a young girl in antiquated clothing.

Witnesses, which included actors from the Alien Wars event of 2009, say she has been spotted floating between corridors and many of the cast from the aforementioned event were said to have been scared to walk alone in the venue.

With more spirits roaming its halls than behind the bar, the White Hart Inn is one of the capital cities most haunted destinations.

Punters have reported having their hair pulled, having chutney bottles thrown at them and cables being pulled within the premises.

According to popular myth, Edinburgh’s notorious murdering duo William Burke and William Hare are supposed to have enticed several fellow drinkers away from the old pub to kill them at their nearby lodgings before selling the corpses.

A photo of one of the supposed spectres was taken by Australian tourists a few years ago.

Photo of a ghostly apparition at the White Hart Inn on the Grassmarket. Picture: Contributed

A former coaching inn, Ma Cameron’s is one of the oldest bars in Aberdeen, and of course being a former coaching inn, it’s also one of the city’s most haunted locations.

Though the shadowy figure (supposedly a man in Georgian dress) that haunts the place is rarely seen there is said to be a lot of poltergeist activity with wall knockings, things being moved and beer pumps being turned on when no one is in the room.

The Banshee Labyrinth describes itself as Scotland’s most haunted pub, with the main spooky antagonist being the eponymous banshee.

With the most famous story being that of the workmen who were once renovating the infamous pub. The group were working in the closed pub when they heard a sobbing noise before finding what appeared to be a young woman with her head in hands, crying. When approached, the mysterious female lifted her face to gaze upon the workmen with eyeless sockets, and screamed a blood curdling cry that caused the labourers to flee the pub.

The story has various versions and one even has one of the workmen receiving a call few hours later informing them of the death of a family member.

Sections of the pub were once part of the infamous underground vaults of Edinburgh and this has added to the strange aura around the place, especially given the fact that many people met a grisly end in those cavernous rooms. Other stories tell of unattended pints being launched to the floor or thrown at walls.

About The Author

Holly is from a small town in Ayrshire but has a big appetite for all things food and drink. Having recently graduated from university in Glasgow, she prides herself on her knowledge of the cities ever growing burger scene.
She is also a self-confessed macaroni cheese addict and food blog enthusiast and enjoys keeping up to date with the latest food trends.